Traders in the national Capital on Monday called a 24-hour bandh on Tuesday to protest resumption of sealing drive.
We have called for a traders bandh in the Capital on Tuesday to protest against the resumption of sealing drive, Confederation of All India Traders Vice President Ramesh Khanna said.
He said the traders body has asked the shopkeepers to protest peacefully in their areas by orgainsing marches and dharnas.
This is the fourth bandh call by the traders to protest the drive against unauthorised commercial establishments in residential areas.
The CIAT had earlier orgainsed two one-day strikes on May 11 and September 20 while a three-bandh from October 30 was the previous one.
Trouble all the way on Delhi Metro railway
NEW DELHI: Thousands of commuters travelling on the newly opened Barakhamba-Dwarka Line III of the Delhi Metro were greatly inconvenienced on Tuesday as a number of trains plying on the corridor were delayed by up to two hours due to a “point'’ problem at Dwarka station.
What compounded the travellers’ troubles was the fact that the announcement system was not used properly and wrong information was disseminated for most part to them, complained most passengers. Though the fault occurred at 1-15 p.m., even till 2 p.m. there was no announcement at Rajiv Chowk station to inform those coming in to board the train about the fact that only single-line operations were taking place between Dwarka and Janakpuri due to which the trains were likely to get late.
A Delhi University student, Nishtha Dhamija, travelling back home from Rajiv Chowk to Uttam Nagar, covered the 30-minute distance in over two hours. “Our train stopped for 10 minutes at almost all the stations on the way. And the driver announced that the stoppage was due to some problem in the train running ahead. He had no inkling of the real problem.'’
As for the passengers, Nishtha said while initially they were wary about the reasons behind the delay, the situation became more desperate later. “But once you have boarded the train and are midway, you cannot leave it and take another transport and so all the passengers stayed put grudgingly.'’ Another college student Neha, who accompanied Nishtha, said “many of the passengers were left wondering why the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was not removing the train set having the problem from the track as there are loop lines at Kirti Nagar and Janakpuri for the purpose'’.
Delhi airport upgrade may get nod, Mumbai`s stalled
Contrary to speculation over how modernisation of Mumbai and Delhi airports would go forward, the committee of secretaries is understood to have cleared only Delhi airport for negotiation with the sole shortlisted bidder GMR, while recommending witholding formalities on Mumbai airport.
Speculation earlier was that the bidding process could be scrapped and quick re-bids be called for.
After deliberating on the recommendations of the experts committee headed by Delhi Metro Chief E Sreedharan, the panel, chaired by Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi, is learnt to have disfavoured any re-bidding for the two airport projects, which is estimated to require an investment of Rs 5,400 crore.
Recommending that negotiations be held with sole qualified bidder GMR and endorsing disqualification of Reliance, the CoS is understood to have recommended to the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) that Mumbai airport could be included in the next round of bids to be invited for Chennai and Kolkata airports.
After the meeting of the CoS, the EGoM had met last week and sought some clarifications from the experts panel committee and is scheduled to meet again on January 24, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had said and reiterated that the January 31 deadline would be maintained in awarding the contracts.
The CoS is also learnt to have recommended that the suggestion of the Sreedharan panel for adopting the special purpose vehicle route for Mumbai airport be examined by the Planning Commission with the civil aviation ministry.
Delhi records winter’s highest temperature
Night temperature in Delhi went up to 14.4 degree Celsius, the highest this winter, but morning fog blanketed the capital, reducing visibility to 600 metres, the weather office said on Wednesday.
The minimum temperature registered in Delhi was seven degrees above normal, it said.
However, inclement weather in other parts of north India delayed departure of flights from the Delhi airport.
A Jet Airways flight to Lucknow took off at 8.55 am hrs from here, 25 minutes behind schedule, due to bad weather at the UP capital, an airline official said.
Inclement weather in Leh also delayed an Indian Airlines Delhi-Leh flight, scheduled for departure at 6.45 am, by 4.15 am, an IA official said.
There were no reports of delays in train departures from Delhi because of weather.
Illegal constructions: Delhi HC pulls up MCD
The Delhi High Court launched a scathing attack on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the way it has been handling demolitions of illegal structures.
Earlier on Wednesday, the MCD had filed its progress report in the High Court.
The civic body had even filed an affidavit in the court admitting that there are 30 lakh constructions with minor or major violations.
‘Cosmetic’ measures?
But the court said that the demolition drive seems to be purely cosmetic and observed that VIPs who own illegal properties are being let off the hook.
After a critical review of the demolition drive so far, the High Court laid out a clear plan of action for the MCD, which is in charge of the demolition drive.
The Court has asked the MCD to:
Report if anyone tries to interfere with the demolition drive;
Take immediate action against illegal properties of powerful people;
Take action against engineers and officials found guilty of allowing illegal construction;
Demolish illegal buildings so that they cannot be used again;
Stop water or power supply to illegal constructions.
It was the High Court which ordered the demolition drive in the first place. 18,000 buildings were meant to be demolished, but so far, less than 800 have been brought down.
The MCD was hoping for some respite from the Delhi High Court, but clearly the court has not been lenient at all.
On its part, the Delhi government says it is developing new plans to control illegal construction.
“A policy will be made where no one will be able to register a house if it is not in the ground, first or second floor of a building,” said A K Walia, Urban Affairs Minister, Delhi.
With the High Court making it clear that VIPs are going to top the new hit list, politicians need to get their house in order.
Delhi builder to promote real estate projects
Delhi-based construction company, which has a presence in the Bangalore’s construction scene through the execution of turnkey projects, now plans to partner developers to promote large real estate projects.
Vineet Kashyap, managing director, B L Kashyap & Sons said that the company has executed projects for builders like Akme and Brigade and undertaken commercial construction for firms like Metro Cash and Carry, ST Micro, Embassy group and Perot Systems.
The company presently has Rs 775 crore worth of projects in hand, and projects worth Rs 500 crore are scheduled to be completed by March 2006. Of this “south India we have projects worth Rs 150 crore under various stages of construction to be delivered in 2006”, he added.
The company will shortly tap the capital market through an initial public offer (IPO) to raise Rs 100 crore to fund expansion into several cities. For this the company has filed its draft red herring prospectus with SEBI.
B L Kashyap & Sons has orders to build over 3 million square feet in Bangalore . This includes one million square feet each for Salarpuria on Sarjapur Road and for Akme on Outer Ring Road, and one million square feet of commercial development for Embassy.
In the last few months the company has concluded the following contracts: a commercial building for Golf Link Software, Bangalore (Rs 18.94 crore); a food court at Manyata Tech Park, Bangalore (Rs 11.60 crore); an office building at Gurgaon (Rs 15 crore); a residential project for Uppal Housing at Noida (Rs 120 crore) and a residential project for Embassy at Pune (Rs 45 60 crore).
In Pune, the company is entering on its own and has initiated townships and row housing, said Kashyap.
The company has expressed interest in participating in the Bangalore metro project, and is expected to submit an expression of interest (EoI) shortly, he added.
The company in the first-half (ending September 30) of financial year 2005 clocked a turnover of Rs 210 crore and expects the revenues to touch about Rs 500 crore by end of the year. Its turnover has grown from Rs 28.52 crore in 1995-96 to Rs 313.70 crore in 2004-05.
Soure: business-standard.com
Left opposes privatisation of Delhi, Mumbai airports
The UPA-Left Coordination Committee today skirted the vexed issue of EPF rate for the current fiscal, but the Left parties opposed the privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports even while agreeing that their modernisation was needed urgently.
At the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and held over a month before the Union Budget for 2006-07, a note on resource mobilisation submitted by Left parties was discussed and it was decided that Finance Minister P Chidambaram will hold a separate meeting with the Left parties “to discuss the suggestions in greater detail".
“Privatisation cannot be allowed in the garb of modernisation, which is needed to decongest the two busy airports,” CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters after the meeting.
Chidambaram said the Left parties’ note on airport modernisation would be sent to the e-GoM which would take that into account.
“There is an urgency to complete the modernisation of these two airports. Having regard to the urgency, it was decided that the Government may take a suitable decision,” he said talking to reporters along with the CPI(M) leader.
More: hindu.com
Delhi Metro man a newsmaker
Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan, credited with changing the face of public transport in the Indian capital, is on the “top 25 newsmakers of 2005” list compiled by the US’ Engineering News-Record, a leading publication on the construction industry, Washington. The Metro Man, as he is popularly called, has been named in the list for the timely completion of the capital’s “challenging” 66-km metro system project in 2005.
CGK passes away
Well-known theatre personality, professor of economics and director of Bangalore University’s Centre For Gandhian Studies, C G Krishnaswamy, popularly known as CGK, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital here on Wednesday, DHNS reports from Davangere. CGK was 56 and is survived by wife and two sons.
FBT to stay
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday gave a distinct message that the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) was here to stay even though the Government will carry out further simplifications in the Budget for 2006-07, UNI reports from New Delhi.
More: deccanherald.com
Delhi firm bags Rs 190 cr NHAI road contract
Delhi-based DS Constructions Ltd, one of the leading infrastructure developers in the country, has bagged the Rs 190-crore Raipur-Aurang road project, which is part of the National Highway No 6 and falls in Chhattisgarh.
According to the contract signed with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), DS Constructions will widen the two-lane high traffic density corridor into a four-lane expressway within 36 months, that is by October 2008.
To complete the 42-km road project on a “build, operate and transfer” (BOT) basis, DS Constructions has set up a special purpose vehicle, Raipur Expressways Ltd, in association with Dubai-based Apollo Enterprises Ltd. It has already finalised funding arrangements worth Rs 160 crore with financial institutions for the project.
According to MS Narula, managing director of DS Constructions, this road project along with the Durg-Raipur Expressway, already being built by the company, will be the first high-speed urban expressway in Chhattisgarh linking Raipur with the surrounding industrial areas.
More: business-standard.com
Sreedharan panel gives IGIA to GMR, Mumbai to AAI; Reliance out
THE PLAN to modernise the Delhi and Mumbai airports got a leg-up on Tuesday when an experts committee headed by DMRC chief E. Sreedharan said only one bidder – GMR Fraport - had scored more than the qualifying marks of 80.
The committee downgraded the Reliance-ASA consortium from the previous score of 80.6 to 79.4 on account of managerial capability and transition plan.
Subject to ratification by the eGoM headed by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee later this week, GMR-Fraport is likely to get Delhi airport while Mumbai airport is likely to be awarded to the Airports Authority of India, which in turn will create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) where it will rope in international partners and investors.
The Sreedharan panel submitted its report to the B.K. Chaturvedi-headed committee of secretaries (CoS) set up by the eGoM. The committee wants Delhi airport to be on the fast track as the Capital will stage the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The new airport needs to be handed over to the administration by December 2009.
More: hindustantimes.com
Delhi Metro to introduce more trains
Anticipating an increase in the traffic, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited on Sunday said it would increase the train frequency and introduce more trains and coaches.
The trains will soon run every three minutes as traffic builds up and more trains are introduced, DMRC said in a statement in New Delhi.
The train capacity will also be increased from four coaches to eight coaches, it said.
The train frequency has been brought down to four minutes on Line 1 (Shahdara-Rithala) and on Line 2 (Vishwa Vidyalaya-Central Secretariat) while a five-minute headway is maintained on Line 3 (Barakhamba Road-Dwarka), it said.
The trains are running with over 99 per cent punctuality and a train is considered late if it is more than 60 seconds late.
Metro rails run over 20,000 kms and carry 4-5 lakh people every day, the release said.
More: hindustantimes.com
Record snow in Japan, cold in Delhi as Asia shivers
Troops and volunteers shovelled snow from roofs and roads in Japan and India’s capital New Delhi recorded its lowest temperature in 70 years as a cold wave swept across parts of Asia on Sunday.
In China, cattle have died of the cold in the far western province of Xinjiang and a 42-km (25-mile) section of the Yellow River has frozen over in eastern Shandong, officials and news reports said.
At least 20 people have died from exposure, disease and malnutrition in northern Bangladesh over the past three days because of a cold snap there, local newspapers said.
In Japan, troops and workers tried to clear snow that had piled up to more than three metres (10 feet) high in some of the worst-hit areas of Niigata prefecture and to re-open blocked roads in Nagano prefecture. Both areas are northwest of Tokyo.
At least 63 people have died and over 1,000 have been injured since the unusually heavy snowfall began last month, Kyodo news agency said, citing a survey of local governments.
Many of the dead were elderly people who fell from their roofs while trying to clear snow, while others were crushed when their houses collapsed under the weight of the drifts.
More: today.reuters.com
Modernisation of Delhi, Mumbai airports rolls down the tarmac
Cutting across party lines, the members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on civil aviation, which met here on Friday called for modernisation and restructuring of Delhi and Mumbai airports without any further delay.
The consultative meeting, which was chaired by the civil aviation minister Praful Patel, discussed the functioning of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The members pointed out that the process was given a go-ahead by the Parliament and should thus be given utmost priority. Besides both the airports were in a very bad shape and needed urgent attention. The members also raised issues relating to safety and security issues including using of Instrumental Landing Systems (ILS) for landing aircrafts in foggy situation, a release issued here said.
Meanwhile, the government has constituted a task force headed by the member Planning Commission for finalisation of the financial model for the development of 35 non-metro airports.
The task force is expected to give its report by March 2006. The government has already appointed consultants to advise AAI on the development of these airports to be developed at an estimated expenditure of Rs 5,500 crore.
More: financialexpress.com
New bid to undo air traffic jams at Delhi airport
The long agonising delays at Delhi’s international and domestic airports may soon be a thing of the past. To enhance its handling capacity, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to send air traffic controllers to Australia for training in simultaneous use of converging runways.
Promising good news for air passengers who have suffered for hours circling over the city because of acute air congestion, the new initiative will greatly increase the aircraft handling capacity at the two airports. “This training will help the air traffic controllers use two runways at the same time. Hopefully the training will start from April,'’ says a senior official of the Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild.
Faced with the fast worsening problem of congested skies, the limited use of the runway at one of the busiest airports in the country was clogging up air traffic quite a bit. The emergence of no-frills airlines and expanding services on various international and domestic circuits due to the boom in the aviation industry added to the congestion and led to a sudden lack of space both on the ground and in the sky.
However, officials now are confident that this new measure will deal effectively with the congestion and provide relief to airlines as well as passengers. It is also expected to lead to massive savings in terms of precious fuel that the aircraft of different airlines frequently burn while waiting for their turn to land or take off.
More: hindu.com
In The Service - Delhi Price Hill
Air Force Airman Kevin T. Rinear has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
During the six weeks of training, Rinear studied the Air Force mission, organization, and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises, and special training in human relations.
In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Rinear, a 2005 graduate of Elder High School, is the son of Thomas and Valerie Rinear of Delhi Township.
Army Reserve Pfc. Maroune Hafdi has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
More: news.communitypress.com
Air Sahara New Delhi-London maiden flight on January 6
Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid presenting the free tickets to the children from NGOs, on the occasion of Air Sahara’s announcement of its inaugural New Delhi-London flight.
In a touching gesture, Air Sahara has decided to fly a few underprivileged children to London on its maiden flight to the British capital.
The private carrier, sponsors of the Indian cricket team, officially announced the launch of the flight here on Wednesday beginning January 6.
And as part of its launch initiative, shaped by the slogan `travel, explore, learn and excel’, Air Sahara will choose 15-20 underprivileged children for the flight.
`Salaam Balak’ and National Children’s Home for Kids, NGOs in New Delhi and London have been chosen for the first ceremonial exchange of young people between India and the U.K.
“It is a unique and interesting concept. Travelling has taught me more than anything else,” Indian cricket team captain, Rahul Dravid, said at the launch.
“By giving a chance to meet new people and country, Air Sahara is helping the underprivileged children. Sahara has been supporting Indian cricket for a long time. I thank them on behalf of the team,” he said.
More: hindu.com
Govt may re-evaluate bids for Delhi, Mumbai airports: sources
The government may agree to re-evaluation or rectification in six technical bids for modernisation and privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports, official sources said today.
But it is unlikely that the entire process will be scrapped and new bids will be called following criticism from various corners, including from two senior officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) who have asked for fresh technical and financial bids.
Sources said derailing the process at this stage will hurt the growth of the country’s aviation sector.
According to reports, AAI’s chairman K Ramalingam and member finance V D V Prasad Rao said in a dissent note that a criteria in request for proposals (RFPs) asking companies to quote experience of developing airports in non-OECD countries alone is to be considered.
But they have considered the experience of operating and developing airports in Mexico - an OECD country. The group later explained experience in master-planning at Ecuador and Guatemala.
The same does not relate to the criteria, yet this was considered and given marks.
More: deepikaglobal.com
Air Sahara launches Delhi-London flight
Indian cricket team sponsors Air Sahara today announced their maiden flight from New Delhi to London beginning from January 6.
As part of their launch initiative, shaped by the slogan ‘travel, explore, learn and excel’, Air Sahara would choose 15-20 underprivileged children every year and fly them between India and all international destinations that they connect.
‘Salaam Balak’ and National Children’s Home for Kids, NGOs in New Delhi and London, have been chosen for the first ceremonial exchange of young people between India and UK.
“It is a unique and interesting concept. Travelling has taught me more than anything else,” Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid said at the launch.
“By giving a chance to meet new people and country, Air Sahara is helping the underprivileged children. Sahara has been supporting Indian cricket for a long time. I thank them on behalf of the team,” he said.
More: chennaionline.com
Meghalaya govt to tie up with Delhi hospital for tele-medicine
Chief Minister D D Lapang says that he will link this facility with other district hospitals in the state too
The Meghalaya government will take the initiative for a tie-up with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi for tele-medicines, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang said on Tuesday.
A small tele-medicine facility was set up at Shillong Civil Hospital and the tie- up with the Delhi hospital would immensely benefit the patients from different parts of Meghalaya, the chief minister said.
Lapang said, “The facility of tele-medicines should also be linked with other district hospitals in the state for the benefit of the rural people", he said.
“In my vision for development during the year 2006, health will be the topmost priority. All primary health centres and community health centres in Meghalaya will be upgraded with the latest equipment", he said.
When asked about the reluctance of doctors to work in rural areas, “All doctors are duty-bound to work in villages and if they don’t want to work, they can quit the job.”
More: mumbaimirror.com
Air Sahara offers cheapest Delhi-London return fare
Private carrier Air Sahara on Monday announced a limited number of tickets on the Delhi-London route for a total cost, including taxes, of Rs 17,500 for a return ticket.
With this, the cheapest option on this route has come down by Rs 8,000. The actual cost of the ticket, minus taxes, is only Rs 10,000.
The airline will offer a total of 2,006 such tickets over the next 12 months, which works out to less than six tickets in every flight if Sahara operates one flight each day of the year starting tomorrow. Other airlines operating on the route said they were aware of the development and would take a call on price cuts at an appropriate time.
“We have always been the price leader. Expect us to come up with such schemes regularly,” said Ronojoy Dutta, president, Air Sahara.
These limited tickets, which would be up for grabs from Tuesday, would be available on the redesigned website of the airline and would be valid for one year from the date of purchase.
More: business-standard.com